Rim and cover combination for cartons



June 6, 1961 G. M. HOLMSTROM RIM AND COVER COMBINATION FOR CARTONS Filed April 10, 1959 24 56 M in 2::

I i 58 low l2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 2,987,238 RIM AND COVER COMBINATION FOR CARTONS George Holmstrom, 7 Wood St., Fairhaven, Mass. Filed Apr. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 805,572 3 Claims. (Cl. 229-43) This invention relates to a rim and'cover combination for cartons, such as disposable paper or paper-like cartons containing consumables, such as potato chips, cookies, ice cream cones, and from which the consumables are dispensed.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a reusable combination of the character indicated above, for application to the cut off tops of cartons of the type mentioned, which provides an airtight closure which resists early loss of crispness and staleness of their contents, and which serves to maintain the shape and reinforce the walls of such cartons so as to prevent collapse thereof otherwise produced by handling of the cartons and removal of the support to their walls incident to depletion of their contents.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination of the character indicated above which can be made of any suitable lightweight, moisture-proof sheet material of substantially rigid character, preferably nonmetallic, and desirably of pressed paper or of plastic material, in durable and attractive forms at relatively low cost.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination of the character indicated above which, when used on cartons of the type mentioned, provide cheap and disposable containers which, to all practical purposes, are the equal in handling and in the efliciency of closure to the more expensive and heavier permanent types of containers, which require expensive transportation, cleaning, and other maintainance.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form of the invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a carton equipped with a rim and cover combination of the invention, the cover being in place;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary exploded perspective view of FIGURE 1, partly broken away; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, the numeral generally designates a rectangular cross section carton having side walls 12 having upper edges 14 in a common plane, which define an open top on the carton. The carton is of the type formed of stiff paper, cardboard, corrugated paper, pressed paper, or the like, and is disposable. The open top and the upper edges 14 are produced by cutting off the closure top (not shown) of the carton to make its contents available for dispensing.

In accordance with the present invention the open top of the carton 10 is closed, and air-sealed by a re-usable combination device, generally designated 16, which comprises a carton top engaging channel rim 18, and a rimengaging cover 20.

The rim 18 here shown is rectangular in form, but will be circular for a circular cross section carton, and comprises an open rectangular frame 22 of inverted channel cross section, providing an inner flange 24, which terminates at its lower extremity in a free edge 26, an armate bight portion 28 on the upper edge of the inner flange lice 24, and an outer depending flange 30 on the bight portion. The outer flange 30 terminates at its lower extremity in a laterally outwardly extending and upwardly opening sealing channel 32, which is shallow as compared to the height of the frame 22, and contains on its bottom a compressible, and preferably resilient, sealing ring 34. The sealing ring 34 is spaced below the free upper edge of the outer retaining flange 36 of the channel 32. The channel 32 and the sealing ring 34 preferably extend entirely around the frame 22. Further, as seen in FIGURE 3, the outer rim frame flange 30 is preferably wider or taller than the inner flange 24, and reaches somewhat below the lower edge of the inner flange. The flanges 24 and 30 are in any case wide enough to have supporting bearings against relatively large areas of the side walls 12 of a carton 10, when the rim 18 is applied over the upper edges 14. As also seen in FIGURE 3, the frame flanges 24 and 30 can diverge or spread slightly downwardly relative to each other, so as to provide a mouth or entrance 38 at their lower edges, which is wider than the bight portion 28, and which provides for easy and quick application of the rim 18 to the upper edges of carton side walls, where the carton side walls may be slightly deformed or irregular.

The cover 20 is rectangular and pan-shaped and has an imperforate top wall 40 and a depending peripheral flange 42. As seen in FIGURE 3, the top wall 40 is larger in area than the open top of the carton 10, and the cover flange 42 is thereby concentrically spaced from the rim frame outer flange 30 when the cover 20 is in place. The cover flange 42 is deep or wide enough so that when its free lower edge 44 sealingly rests upon and indents and compresses the sealing ring 34, the cover top wall 40 is spaced slightly above the bight portion 28 of the rim frame 22. A snugger fit of the cover flange 42 on the outer rim flange 30 is permissable, but should not be so snug as to interfere with quick and easy placement and removal of the cover, and require holding the rim 18 down in place on the carton in order to remove the cover 20.

The rim 18 and the cover 20 can be made of the same or of different moisture-proof and relatively rigid sheet materials, including non-corrosive metals, plastic, and impregnated paper-like materials.

Although there has been shown and described herein a preferred form of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in the structure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof are contemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A removable and re-usable closure for the open top of a carton, comprising a relatively rigid rim frame, said frame having inverted channels having inner and outer flanges, bight portions connecting the upper edges of the flanges and adapted to rest freely upon the upper edge of a carton, sealing channels on the outward sides of said outer flanges, a removable cover comprising a top wall having a depending flange having a free lower edge, said cover flanges surrounding the outer flange of the rim, with its free lower edge resting sealingly in said sealing channel.

2. A carton having an open top and flexible side walls having a common upper edge, a rim consisting of inverted channels having bight portions resting freely and removably upon the upper edges of related carton side walls, said channels having inner flanges located at the inward sides of the side walls and outer flanges located at the outer sides of the side walls, upwardly opening sealing channels on said outer flanges having bottoms spaced downwardly from said bight portions, and a cover having atop wall larger in area than the open top of the carton, 21 depending flange on the top wall having a free lower edge resting upon the bottoms of the sealing channels.

3. A carton having an open top and flexible side walls having a common upper edge, a rim consisting of inverted 5 flange rests.

channels having bight portions resting freely and removably upon the upper edges of related carton side walls, said channels having inner flanges located at the inward sides of the side walls and outer flanges located at the outer sides of the side walls, upwardly opening sealing channels on said outer flanges having bottoms spaced downwardly from said bight portions, and a cover having a top wall larger in area than the open top of the carton,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,147,867 Janisch July 27, 1915 1,264,735 Willsie Apr. 30, 1918 1,876,932 Hicks Sept. 13, 1932 1,931,372 Brown Oct. 17, 1933 

